Breadcrumb
Once again, Israel unleashes strategy of bombing media and medical sites in Iran
On 19 June, an Iranian missile strike caused damage to a hospital in the Israeli city of Beersheba. The strike, part of Iran's response to unprovoked Israeli attacks on its military and civilian infrastructure, made headlines around the world.
But largely absent from mainstream coverage were the Israeli strikes on Iranian medical infrastructure in the days before and after. At least three hospitals, several emergency medical centres, and multiple ambulances were reportedly targeted.
Medical facilities were not the only civilian sites attacked by Israel since the escalation of its conflict with Iran. Media and educational institutions, including Iran’s national broadcaster and the dormitories of Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, were also hit, drawing little international attention.
Israel, which has repeatedly targeted hospitals and medical centres in Lebanon and Gaza in recent years, appears to be using the same tactic in Iran, disrupting healthcare systems as part of its military strategy.
Systemic targeting of health centres
The psychological toll of targeting healthcare infrastructure extends far beyond the immediate damage. For both ordinary citizens and medical professionals, the long-term emotional impact is profound.
A nurse based in Tehran, who has remained in the city despite ongoing Israeli attacks, spoke to The New Arab about the toll these strikes have taken on hospital workers.
"My colleagues and I continue to work and treat the injured every day, but there's no doubt the targeting of medical facilities has had a major emotional impact on all of us," she said.
The nurse, who has a 14-year-old daughter, described the quiet fear shared by her family. "When I leave for my shift, I don't know if I'll return. Neither of us talks about it, but every time I kiss my daughter goodbye, I wonder if it might be the last time."
According to official sources in Iran, several medical facilities have been struck since the start of the Israeli offensive. These include the Farabi Hospital in Kermanshah, Hakim Children’s Hospital in Tehran, Qasre Shirin Welfare Centre and Mianrahan Health Centre.
On June 20, Hossein Kermanpour, head of the public relations at the Ministry of Health, confirmed that six ambulances were also targeted.
The strikes have drawn criticism even from opponents of the Iranian government. Salour Malayeri, a dissident living in the UK, denounced the attacks in a Facebook post while also criticising fellow regime opponents for their silence on Israel’s actions.
"Put the word 'hospital' next to 'Israel.' What's the third word that immediately comes to mind? 'Gaza,'" he wrote.
He went on: "Even when we say, 'Look at Iran—see where Israeli bombs are falling and the devastation they've caused,' the [oppositions’] response is always, 'Yes, but change the regime, so the situation can improve.' You never say Israel must be held accountable."
Targeting the media
Just as Israel has previously targeted both domestic and international media outlets, Iranian journalists and broadcasters have now come under fire in its latest military campaign.
Iran's state television operates from a large complex in northern Tehran, far from any military, security, or police installations. On 16 June, the network's main studio was struck during a live news broadcast.
According to an Iranian journalist who worked in the complex's radio studios in 2008 and 2009, the attack was anything but accidental.
"After that strike, people in Tehran began fleeing the city. Viewers had watched a live news program when suddenly it was hit, proof that Israel was targeting whatever it wanted, without restraint," he told TNA, speaking from northern Iran, where he has since sought refuge.
"I have no sympathy for official television, it's the regime's propaganda arm, but seeing rubble fall on a presenter's head live on air shattered something inside me. It hurt my soul," he added.
The journalist left the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) in 2009 in protest at the regime's violent crackdown on the Green Movement. He was later summoned and interrogated multiple times, yet says the Israeli strike on the network deeply affected him.
"I don't care for the anchor or the regime's talking points. But even in war, there are rules—lines I refuse to cross, even with my enemy. Israel, clearly, recognises no moral or legal boundaries," the journalist concluded.